Rewoven Tapestry: Searches Saga
by Contrail
Summary: [AU] In a world without Goku, Bulma is still trying to collect all 7 Dragonballs, while Chi-Chi looks for a way to put out the fire around her father's castle.
1. Prologue

Rewoven Tapestry 

The Searches Saga: Prologue 

by Contrail 

Disclaimer: Dragonball was created by Akira Toriyama. The American translation is done by Funimation. 

* * *

Time's passage weaves a tapestry out of the lives of people, animals, creatures, and even worlds... The redirection of a crucial thread distorts the pattern that was to be woven. Friendships, loves, the course of battles, even who lives or dies... All of these things change in response to the thread's absence, as the tapestry tries to adjust to the alteration. 

The difference was a small one. So small that normally it would have no significant impact on the events to come. A computer glitch marked a backwater blue-green planet named Earth as having had someone sent to purge it, when in fact no one had been sent. This mistake would not be noticed until many years later, when some race wanted to buy this unimportant world. The Saiyan infant named Kakarot who would have been sent to Earth is instead sent to a different world shortly before the destruction of the planet Vegeta at the hands of Frieza. A fateful encounter with an old legendary martial artist never occurs, and Kakarot never hits his head and forgets his mission. Instead he successfully clears the planet he was sent to of all life and becomes a simple soldier in Frieza's army, albeit one of only four Saiyans who still live. Son Gohan continues to live for years past the night he was destined to be killed by his rampaging adopted grandson. 

But while the absence of a certain abnormally strong monkey-tailed child affects the paths of the threads that would have crossed his, they continue on as they would have until that time. A short blue man with delusions of grandeur still seeks the power of the Dragonballs. A giant king still sends his daughter in search of a way to put out the flames that surround their castle. A dark-haired young man and his cat still try to rob travellers who pass through their desert. A shapeshifting pig still terrorizes a remote village. A short ex-monk stills seeks to gain strength and recognition by training with the legendary Turtle Hermit. The Turtle Hermit's pet turtle still becomes lost on land. A young woman still shifts between blue-haired and docile and blonde and aggressive every time she sneezes. And a socially-challenged teenage genius still wants to wish for a boyfriend... 

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**Author's Note**

I know that Kakarot/Son Goku not coming to Earth (either because Vegeta-sei doesn't get blown up or for other reasons) isn't exactly an uncommon subject for DBZ Alternate Universe fics. However, many of them seem to ignore the fact that the enemies Goku faces during Dragonball (Pilaf, the Red Ribbon Army, Demon King Piccolo) wouldn't vanish just because Goku isn't there. So what would happen to the human warriors who'd still be around? Would they be able to rise to meet the challenges that face them even without Goku around? Or would one of the villains manage to take over the world? Those are the questions the Rewoven Tapestry series of stories intends to explore (along with non-canon romantic pairings and the occasional character background that was never told in the series). 

I'll be trying to cover a very long span of time, which is why I'm breaking Rewoven Tapestry up into 'sagas' like the show does. The first stories will be posted here in the Dragonball section of Fanfiction.net because they deal with events that happen during the Dragonball time period, although illuminated by the knowledge of what happens in the later anime series. If the cast manages to survive to reach it ;^> (and my will to write doesn't give out), sagas dealing with events in the DBZ time period will be posted in the DBZ section. 

Anyway, I'd love to hear any feedback about this story, either through FF.net's review system or e-mail. 


	2. Chapter 1

Rewoven Tapestry 

The Searches Saga: Chapter 1 

by Contrail 

Disclaimer: Dragonball was created by Akira Toriyama. The American translation is done by Funimation. 

* * *

**September 1st, 749 - East Mountain Area**

Bulma drove her car quickly up the winding mountain road. Well, as quickly as she could manage given the poor quality of the dirt road she was driving on, which wasn't quickly enough for her tastes. After rounding a curve, she drew the car to a halt, deciding that it was time to take a small break from driving and stretch her legs. She got out of the car and stretched her arms and back with a sigh. 

Taking her Dragonball radar out of the pouch she carried it in, she checked to make sure she was still heading in the right direction. Yep, she was much closer to one of the dots the radar showed now. It shouldn't be too much longer before she reached it. She smiled to herself. Soon, she would have all seven Dragonballs and make her wish for a perfect boyfriend! So far her search for the Dragonballs had been so simple that she wondered why no one else had gather them for decades. Of course, not everyone could be a beautiful technical genius like her. Without the Dragonball radar she'd built, she would have had no idea where to start looking for the Dragonballs. 

As she got back into her car to continue on, she idly wondered what one of the Dragonballs was doing way out here in the middle of nowhere anyway. The last Dragonball she'd found had been inside a cave, so maybe this one was similarly situated. She gave a little shrug as she drove. Wherever this one was, she knew she'd be there soon. The unpaved road continued on up into the mountains, and the area between the drop downwards on one side and side of the mountain on the other gradually widened. Soon there was a strip of grass and trees on either side of the road, instead of there being little more than a car's width of space between empty air on one side and solid rock on the other. 

Eventually Bulma reached the end of the road and screeched to a halt. She quickly turned off the car and got out to examine the small structure that sat in front of her. It was made out of brick, with a pointed roof of dark blue tiles, and it couldn't have had more than a single room inside of it. She took out her radar and fiddled with it for a few moments. The Dragonball certainly seemed to be in the small shrine, or house, or whatever it was. It looked to be in too good of shape to have been abandoned, so she'd just have to hope whoever owned the place was around and willing to sell their Dragonball. 

Striding to the teal-colored wooden doors to the hut, she straightened the skirt of her pink dress. It never hurt to try to make a good first impression. She knocked briskly on the doors three times. Listening, she heard someone stirring within the hut, and soon one of the doors opened to reveal the wrinkled face of an old man blinking at her. "Oh, my," he said in a somewhat wheezing voice. "It's been a long time since anyone bothered to come all the way up here. Can I help you, miss?" 

"Yes, my name is Bulma Briefs." Bulma paused there for a moment to see if he recognized her name. He didn't show any signs of doing so, which didn't entirely surprise her. This old guy probably didn't get out much or listen to the news. "I believe you have in your possession one of a set of objects that I'm collecting. May I please come in and look around for it?" 

"Please forgive my poor manners, Miss Briefs, keeping you out here on the step," he replied as he stepped back out of the doorway, making room for her to enter the small house. "I am Son Gohan, and I doubt there is anything I own that would be of interest to you, but you are welcome to look. May I offer you some tea at least? You must have come a very long way." 

Bulma stepped inside and began looking around as she answered absently, "No, that's okay." There wasn't much to see inside the place. A single patterned window on one wall let light into the place. The furniture was fairly plain but looked well-made. There wasn't much furniture, just a bed, a table, a couple of stools to sit on, a dresser... What was sitting on top of the dresser made her stop her examination and smile happily. Resting on top of a small purple cushion was a small orange ball with four red stars imprinted in it, softly glowing in response to the presence of the two Dragonballs she already had. "Yes! There it is!" 

Gohan followed Bulma's gaze to discover what item had caught her interest. "I'd almost forgotten I had that," he muttered to himself. More audibly, he continued, "That ball is what you are looking for then, miss?" 

Bulma nodded. "I can offer any sum you would consider reasonable for it." 

Gohan chuckled a little. "I don't have much need for money, living out here like I do. But I do wonder how you knew that I had this ball." 

Irritation flashed through Bulma's mind. How dare this old man question her! But in an unaccustomed action, she pushed the feeling aside. She needed the old guy's cooperation if she wanted to get his Dragonball. She did have a gun on her, and she knew how to use it, but she didn't want to threaten an old man just to get his Dragonball unless she had to. So she was going to have to tell him about the Dragonball radar. She figured she might as well tell him the whole story, since he'd probably keep asking questions until he found out the rest anyway. 

"Seven magical Dragonballs exist and are scattered all over the world. That," Bulma said, indicating the small orange ball, "is one of them. Each ball has a name and a different number of stars marked on it, from one to seven. Anyone who can gather together all seven of them can use them to summon forth the Eternal Dragon to grant themself a single wish. After I found one of the Dragonballs, I studied them and discovered that they emit a faint electric pulse." She reached into the pouch she carried on her belt and pulled out the Dragonball radar as she continued talking. "Using my amazing technical genius I constructed this little device that lets me track them down no matter where in the world they are." 

Showing Gohan the round palm-sized device's green screen, she pointed to the three dots that were together in the middle of it. "That's where we are, with the two Dragonballs I've already collected and the one you have. I found you and your Dragonball by simply heading toward one of the dots on here." 

"I see." Gohan had been listening quietly while Bulma explained, his eyes looking at her intently all the while. "What happens to the Dragonballs after they have been used to summon the Eternal Dragon?" 

"After the wish has been made, the Dragonballs rise up in the air and each one flies off in a different direction, scattering them all over the world again. They also become inert for a full year." 

Gohan nodded. "And what are you planning to wish for?" 

"That's my business, not yours, old man! What does it matter to you what I want to wish for, anyway?" Bulma snapped, losing her hold on her temper. 

"I will not allow the Dragonball I possess to be used for ill purposes," Gohan replied firmly. "So you can either tell me what you plan to use the wish for, miss, or you can leave without the Dragonball." 

Bulma grumbled under her breath. Like she really wanted to tell this geezer her heart's fondest wish. But it looked like he was going to be stubborn about this, and he did have the upper hand since he was the one who had the Dragonball. "Fine. I want to wish for the perfect boyfriend for me." 

Silence stretched between them for several long moments as Gohan gave her a considering look. His sharp eyes peered out at her from his wrinkled face, seeming to try to pierce through flesh and blood to read her very soul. It was rather unnerving, actually, although she'd be damned if she was going to let this old guy know that. Finally, he gave a small nod and said, "I will give you my Dragonball if you agree to perform a task for me." 

Like Bulma wanted to be his errand girl. Still, she really needed that Dragonball. She might as well hear what he wanted at least... "Tell me what you want me to do and I'll tell you if I'm willing to do it." 

Gohan nodded again. "I need you to take my staff to my old martial arts sensei. He is known as Master Roshi or the Turtle Hermit. Tell him I said to find someone worthy to pass it on to. I had hoped to do so myself, but..." 

"If this guy was your teacher, are you sure he's still alive? I mean, you're not exactly young yourself." 

Gohan smiled a little. "I'm quite sure, miss." 

"O-kay... So where does this guy live?" 

"He lives on a small island to the south of here. I believe that he has one of the Dragonballs you are searching for in his possession. So you should be able to find your way there with that radar of yours. I don't know if crossing part of the ocean will be a difficulty for you..." 

Bulma shook her head. "No, I'm well prepared to travel by water if necessary." Just carrying a staff for a little bit and giving it to someone didn't sound too bad, particularly since she'd apparently need to head that direction anyway... "Alright, I'll do it!" 

Gohan picked up the staff from where it was laying propped up against a wall and handed it to her. It was a simple red staff with no decorations or anything, held within an equally plain carrying case. She wondered what was so important about it, then shrugged. Probably just some weird martial artist thing. She held the staff in one hand and accepted the Dragonball from Gohan with her other hand. She happily slipped it into the pouch that held the other two Dragonballs she'd already gotten. Only four more to go! 

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Son. Now I really must be going, I need to deliver this for you, and work on finding the rest of the Dragonballs." 

Gohan nodded. "Have a safe journey, miss." 

Bulma left the hut and hurried back outside to her car. Setting the staff down on the seat beside her, she started the car back up and turned it around so she could head back down the road. Her next destination was clear - the island of the Turtle Hermit! 

* * *

Son Gohan watched the young woman leave his house and sighed quietly to himself. It was foolish of her to try to gain love by wishing for it, but he would let her discover that truth herself. Experience was the best teacher in some areas of life. It wasn't the sort of wish that would cause harm, though, and he felt that she wouldn't change her mind and ask for a harmful wish instead. She was rather selfish, to be sure, but he thought she had a fairly good heart despite that. Well, he had done what he thought was the right thing, and there was no point on dwelling on the matter further. With one last sigh, he returned to what he had been doing before the arrival of his unexpected visitor. 

* * *

**Author's Note**

Ah, the fun of writing a character that appeared maybe a handful of times in all of Dragonball. Hopefully I didn't do too badly with the elder Son Gohan. I think this chapter ended up being a little short, but it seemed like a good place to stop. 

I'd love to hear any feedback about this story, either through FF.net's review system or e-mail. 

Next time on Rewoven Tapestry, Bulma stumbles over a certain turtle (literally) and meets Master Roshi, wrinkled old pervert, er, I mean legendary martial arts sensei, for the first time. 


	3. Chapter 2

Rewoven Tapestry 

The Searches Saga: Chapter 2 

by Contrail 

Disclaimer: Dragonball was created by Akira Toriyama. The American translation is done by Funimation. 

* * *

**September 2nd, 749 - East Mountain Area**

Bulma stepped out of the capsule house she'd spent the night in and stretched, enjoying the feel of the mid-morning sunlight. She'd woken up a while ago, but she'd taken some time to eat breakfast and make sure that she looked like her usual gorgeous self. She had no idea who she might run into looking for the Dragonballs, after all, and she wanted them to see her at her best. Looking around the meadow by the road where she'd set her house up last evening, she decided to walk around for a little bit before spending who knows how long driving in a car to the shore and sailing a boat to the island the Turtle Hermit lived on. 

As she walked, Bulma started think about how well her search for the Dragonballs was progressing. She already had three of them, and she'd undoubtedly have a fourth by the end of the day. At the rate she was going, she figured she'd have the rest in no more than a week. And then she'd be able to wish for a perfect boyfriend for herself! He'd be nice to her, of course, and gentle, yet still strong enough to protect her if she needed it (and only when she needed it). He'd shower her with presents and kisses, never make her angry, always do what she asked him to without complaint, cheer her up when she was sad, and always understand what she was feeling. Physically, he'd be just the right amount taller than her, of course, and handsome. Would he have dark hair and eyes? Or would he be a blonde, maybe? Or perhaps a redhead? 

Bulma was too busy trying to picture what her perfect boyfriend would look like to watch where she was walking. One of her feet got caught under the edge of a large dark vaguely hemispherical object, and she promptly tripped and fell over the top of it, landing face first on the ground. Raising herself up on her elbows, she turned her head to see what exactly it was she'd tripped over. Her blue eyes met another pair that was staring back at her out of a brown... wrinkled... leathery... beaked... face. 

"Sorry about that," the face spoke in a quiet, almost monotone voice that held a long-suffering air to it. "You might want to keep a closer eye on where you are walking though." Being spoken to seemed to snap Bulma's mind out of its temporarily shocked state, and she took in the rest of the creature's appearance in a swift glance. With its large rounded shell that covered everything but its head and four flippers, it had to be a sea turtle. 

"I was thinking about something very important," she said with a modicum of annoyance as she got to her feet. "But what are you doing around here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be living near the sea?" 

"Yes, I'm quite concerned because I'm so far away from home. By the way, could you spare some salt water?" 

She did have some salt water in a capsule back in her house that she didn't really have any plans for, and then the turtle'd owe her one... "Sure, I'll get you some." Bulma strode briskly back towards the house, and the turtle wiggled its way after her as best it could. Soon, the turtle was drinking the salt water out of a metal bucket as Bulma looked on. The turtle gulped the last of it down, obviously very thirsty, and set the bucket down with a clatter and a sigh. 

"Good sea water," he complimented Bulma. "Aromatic, yet full-bodied." 

"Yeah, I think it's an '87." 

"Nope, an '86." 

"Are you sure about that?" she asked in a somewhat skeptical tone. 

"Mmhmm. I know my water." 

Deciding to change the subject, Bulma thought she should repeat the question she'd asked earlier and hadn't gotten an answer to. "What *are* you doing here?" 

"Well, I'm lost. I'm just plumb plain old lost. I got in a long foot race with a hare, took a wrong turn, and I've been looking for the sea ever since." 

"I hate to tell you this, but the sea's in the opposite direction. Wait here, I'll go get you a map." It only took her a few moments to fetch a map from inside the house. She flipped through it as she walked back over to the turtle, locating the right page. "According to this, the sea's almost a hundred miles away." 

"Great. That'll take me twenty years." The turtle lowered his head as he looked sadly at the ground. Bulma felt a little sorry for him, but she really needed to get going towards Master Roshi's island so she could give him the staff and get his Dragonb- Wait a second, hadn't Mr. Son told her that Master Roshi was known as the Turtle Hermit? And now she ran into a talking sea turtle on the way towards his house... It was worth asking about, at any rate. 

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know an old man named Master Roshi, would you?" 

"Uh-hunh. He's my owner." Great! If she brought the old guy's pet back to him, he'd probably be grateful enough that he'd just give her the Dragonball. 

"Well, I'm heading in that direction. I could probably drive you to the sea, if I can manage to get you into my car." 

"Why, thank you." 

Bulma turned to encapsulate her house and put it away, but paused and looked back over her shoulder. "Oh, by the way, do you have a name I can call you? I'm Bulma Briefs." 

"Master Roshi calls me Umigame." Bulma nodded and continued her preparations to leave. It was a tight fit and Bulma had to struggle to get him in, but eventually Umigame was maneuvered into the back seat of Bulma's car. Hopping into the driver's seat, Bulma started the car up and was soon driving down the road towards the sea. It took less than two hours for them to reach the shore. Bulma parked as close to the water as she could reasonably get. She got out of the car and stood there for a moment, letting the ocean breeze bring a salty tang with it as it blew around her face and through her hair. It took some effort for her to pull Umigame out of the back seat and on to the beach. 

"You know, this is probably the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me," he said to Bulma. "Thank you for bringing me back here." 

She smiled. "Don't mention it." Particularly since he would be helping her to get the next Dragonball. "Now, do you remember how to get to Master Roshi's island?" 

"Yep. I find navigating in the water a lot easier than navigating on land." 

Bulma nodded. "Then just let me get a boat out and I'll follow you there." She retrieved the staff she needed to deliver from the car before encapsulating it. Digging out her capsule case, she found one that would suit her needs and exchanged the car capsule for it. Triggering the new capsule, she tossed it out over the water, where it became a small motor powered boat. She pulled her socks and shoes off before wading over to the boat and getting in. She didn't want to have to spend the rest of the day in disgustingly wet, squishy shoes after all. "Lead the way, Umigame." 

Umigame may have had a lot of trouble moving around on land, but in the water he was surprisingly fast. Bulma checked the Dragonball radar from time to time as they made their way across the ocean, making sure they were heading in the right direction. 

The island that eventually approached in the distance was quite small, barely large enough to hold a small house and a few palm trees upon it. The house looked cozy enough but was oddly colored, with pink walls and a red roof. As they got closer to the island, Bulma could make out the words 'Kame House' painted on one side of the house. An old man was sitting outside by the beach, reading a magazine. He was skinny and bald, and dressed in a brightly colored shirt, shorts, sandals, and what looked to be a large purple turtle shell strapped to his back. A pair of red-framed sunglasses completed his ensemble, and Bulma guessed that this old nut must be the Turtle Hermit. Another quick check of the Dragonball radar showed that there was definitely a Dragonball somewhere on that island. 

The old man looked up and set his magazine down as they got closer, probably alerted to their approach by the sound of her boat's motor. Umigame reached the island shore first, and Master Roshi walked over to him with a smile. "Umigame! Where have you been all this time? I was worried about you." 

Umigame looked a little sheepish. "I got lost. But this nice young lady helped me find my way back here." As Umigame said that, Bulma's boat reached the island, and she cut the motor and hopped out onto the sand. 

Master Roshi looked her over, his smile widening. "Hello there, young lady! I'm Master Roshi the Turtle Hermit! Is it true that you helped my turtle?" 

"I'm Bulma Briefs, and yes, I drove your turtle from where I found him to the sea shore." 

"Thank you, you are a very kind (not to mention pretty) young lady. I have a gift I'd like to give you as a token of my gratitude." 

"Really?" Bulma asked with a smile. She always appreciated gifts, and if she didn't want whatever it was maybe she could convince him to give her his Dragonball instead. 

Roshi walked closer to the edge of the beach and raised his staff in a strange pose, shouting, "Come to me, Immortal Phoenix!" He then held the pose, staring expectantly towards the horizon. Everyone on the beach was quiet as they waited to see what would happen. Several long moments passed with only the sound of the waves lapping at the beach disturbing the stillness. 

Finally, Umigame spoke up. "Master, didn't the Phoenix die from food poisoning?" 

"Eh, that's right, now that you mention it, Umigame. Now what else could I give her? Hmmm..." Roshi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Taking a closer look at him, Bulma's eyes fell on the orange spherical pendant he wore around his neck. Three red stars seemed to float below its surface. It was a Dragonball! 

"Never mind, never mind! I know what I want!" Bulma broke in enthusiastically. 

Jolted out of his thoughts, Roshi looked up at her with a puzzled expression. "Eh? You do? What?" 

"I want that!" Bulma was pointing to the Dragonball. "That pendant you have around your neck!" 

"What, this?" Roshi asked her as he started to take the pendant off. "Are you sure you want this old thing? I found it washed up on the shore of my island a long time ago." 

Bulma accepted the Dragonball from the old man, gazing at it happily. "Oh, it's beautiful." The three-star ball was hers! Holding it up to her cheek and smiling, she continued, "Thank you, I really love your gift, you're a kind-hearted and generous old man! Thank you so much." 

Roshi scratched his head, wondering what the big deal was. 

"Oh, before I forget, I have something I was told to give to you..." Bulma started rummaging around in the bottom of her boat, finally pulling out the staff that she needed to deliver to him. 

It was a bit hard to tell because of his sunglasses, but Bulma thought Master Roshi's eyes widened a bit when he saw the staff. "Who did you get that staff from?" he questioned her. 

"Son Gohan, he said he used to be your student. I agreed to bring to you in exchange for his Dragonball. He wanted you to find someone worthy to pass it on to." 

Bulma held out the staff for Roshi to take, which he did with a thoughtful nod. "What is a Dragonball, that you'd make the journey from Mount Paozu to here just to get one?" 

"Well, that pendant you gave me is one. Once I get all seven of them, it's wish time!" Bulma smiled at the thought of getting her wish granted. 

"That thing grants wishes?" he asked in a somewhat disbelieving tone. "If it's that important to you, maybe you could give me a little... extra reward... for giving it to you." Master Roshi's expression had taken on a lecherous cast by this point. "Just one little peek at your panties, that's all I ask..." 

Bulma made a disgusted face. Show her underwear to this old pervert? Not unless she had to! Umigame jumped into the conversation before she could voice her reaction. "You know that's against your code, Master! It's wrong, dead wrong!" Umigame scolded. 

"Can't an old man have a little bit of fun around here?" Roshi yelled back. 

Bulma finally found her voice. "You were perfectly fine with just giving the Dragonball to me until you found out what it did. A deal's a deal, old man, and I have no intention of catering to your little fantasies out of the goodness of my heart!" Turning to Umigame, she said, "I enjoyed meeting you, maybe we'll see each other again sometime. But I really need to get back to looking for the other Dragonballs. Bye!" 

Bulma got into her boat and maneuvered it away from the island and back to the coast, ignoring Master Roshi's shouting about how kids these days were ungrateful and disrespectful. Just three more to find before she'd get to make her wish! As her boat glided through the water, she wondered where the search would take her next. 

* * *

**Author's Note**

Heh, it's rather fun to write Bulma in the beginning when she's still a selfish little bitch and she's insulting, bribing, and tricking her way through any obstacle that's in her path. 

Most of the scene where Bulma meets Umigame for the first time is taken from Dragonball episode 002, "The Emperor's Quest". I almost always use the American dub names for characters, but calling the sea turtle 'Turtle' makes me expect a dog named 'Dog' and a cat named 'Cat' to show up next. (And yes, I realize that Umigame means 'sea turtle' in Japanese.) 

A good bit of the Master Roshi/Bulma interaction is based closely on Dragonball episode 003, "The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi". Also, in the American dub Roshi calls for a magic carpet, which is supposedly 'at the cleaners', instead of the Immortal Phoenix. 

Next time on Rewoven Tapestry, Bulma reaches the next Dragonball, but learns that the only way she can get its owner to give it up is by defeating Oolong the (not so) Terrible, a shape-changing monster... er, pig. 


End file.
